Serena Williams is a strong personality on the tennis court. During her illustrious career, she has dominated her opponents all across the globe by putting on some eye-catching displays. Many people have contributed to making Serena a champion player on the tennis court. Amongst them is the German tennis coach, Sascha Bajin.

The 37-year-old was Serena’s hitting partner for seven years. He worked with Serena during the peak of her career. Their partnership resulted in the American legend winning 13 of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles. Such was the camaraderie between the two that Serena once had a hilarious challenge for her hitting partner.

Serena Williams asked Sascha Bajin to kiss her dog

During one of their practice sessions, Serena had an interesting challenge for her hitting partner, Sascha Bajin. She said, “If you can’t get an ace in five tries, then you have to kiss Jackie, with tongue.” 

However, Bajin protested, saying, “No way. You know what that dog licks? Other dog’s butts.” Trying his luck out, Bajin didn’t even come close to hitting an ace in his first four tries. Serena then crackled, “Get ready to make out!” Further, in the fifth attempt, Bajin hit the border and smashed an ace to win the challenge. Serena hilariously reacted, saying, “OK, but I still want you to kiss Jackie.”

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Serena’s campaign at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati ended early, after a disappointing loss against Emma Raducanu. It was the former World Number 1’s penultimate tournament as she will retire after the US Open this year.

Bajin’s split with Naomi Osaka

After the Australian Open in 2019, the Japanese tennis star shocked one and all with her decision to separate from coach Sascha Bajin despite their successful partnership. The partnership resulted in Osaka winning the US Open in 2018 and the Australian Open in 2019.

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Osaka later explained that the split was because she did not want to sacrifice her own happiness. In the ongoing WTA 1000 tournament in Cincinnati, Osaka lost in the first round of the tournament against China’s Shuai Zhang.